Elevator assembly for an agricultural harvester with a storage hopper having a conveyor therein and related methods

ABSTRACT

In one aspect, an elevator assembly for a harvester may include an elevator housing and an elevator extending within the elevator housing between a proximal end and a distal end. As such, the elevator may be configured to carry harvested crops between its proximal and distal ends. Furthermore, the elevator assembly may include a storage hopper extending from the elevator housing at a location adjacent to the distal end of the elevator. The storage hopper may include a conveyor extending within the storage hopper between a first end and a second end, with the conveyor configured to carry the harvested crops between its first and second ends towards a discharge opening of the storage hopper.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to agricultural harvesters,such as sugar cane harvesters, and, more particularly, to an elevatorassembly for an agricultural harvester with a storage hopper having aconveyor therein and related methods for operating the harvester usingthe conveyor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, agricultural harvesters are accompanied by a receiver forharvested crops, such as a truck that is driven beside or behind theharvester, or a wagon towed by a truck or tractor. An unloading conveyoror elevator extends from the harvester and is operable during theharvesting operation as it moves along the field for unloading theharvested crops to the accompanying receiver.

Some harvesters, particularly combine harvesters, have an on-board cropcarrying capability, such as a large grain tank, so as to not need to beconstantly accompanied by a receiver for the harvested crops. Otherharvesters have only limited on-board carrying capability and requiresubstantially constant accompaniment by an external receiver or storagedevice. For instance, sugar cane harvesters have an elongate, upwardlyinclined elevator that utilizes one or more circulating chains to conveypaddles or other crop carrying elements upwardly along an upwardlyfacing top span of the elevator, and downwardly along a downwardlyfacing bottom span of the elevator in an endless loop. Harvested sugarcanes are typically cut into shorter billets and then carried by thepaddles upwardly along the top span of the elevator and for subsequentdischarge from the distal end of the elevator into the accompanyingreceiver, such as a billet cart.

When an external receiver for a sugarcane harvester is absent or isotherwise not properly positioned relative to the harvester, theunloading elevator must be stopped to prevent the conveyed billets frombeing discharged onto the ground. This situation can arise under avariety of conditions, such as if the accompanying receiver is full andmust leave the harvester to unload. As another example, the receiver mayoften be a towed wagon that (along with its towing vehicle) defines alarger turning radius that the harvester itself. In such instances, whena turn is being executed at the end of the field, the receiver may notbe immediately present for receiving the harvested crops. As a result,the harvester may have to pause operation until the receiver is able tobe properly positioned relative to the harvester. In either situation,there is significant loss in the productivity of the harvester.

Accordingly, an improved elevator assembly for an agricultural harvesterthat has a storage hopper to allow for continued harvesting in theabsence of an accompanying receiver would be welcomed in the technology.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the technology will be set forth in part inthe following description, or may be obvious from the description, ormay be learned through practice of the technology.

In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to an elevatorassembly for a harvester. The elevator assembly may include an elevatorhousing and an elevator extending within the elevator housing between aproximal end and a distal end. As such, the elevator may be configuredto carry harvested crops between its proximal and distal ends.Furthermore, the elevator assembly may include a storage hopperextending from the elevator housing at a location adjacent to the distalend of the elevator. The storage hopper may include a conveyor extendingwithin the storage hopper between a first end and a second end, with theconveyor configured to carry the harvested crops between its first andsecond ends towards a discharge opening of the storage hopper.

In another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a methodfor operating a harvester. The harvester may include an elevatorassembly having an elevator extending between a proximal end and adistal end. The elevator assembly may further include a storage hopperextending from the elevator housing at a location adjacent to the distalend of the elevator. The storage hopper may include a conveyor extendingwithin the storage hopper between a first end and a second end. Themethod may include initially operating the harvester in a dischargeharvesting mode such that harvested crops are expelled from the distalend of the elevator, conveyed between the first and second ends of theconveyor, and subsequently discharged from the harvester through adischarge opening defined by the storage hopper. The method may alsoinclude receiving an operator input associated with operating theharvester in a storage harvesting mode. Furthermore, upon receipt of theoperator input, the method may include at least one of reducing a speedof the conveyor or halting operation of the conveyor such that theharvested crops expelled from the distal end of the elevator accumulatewithin a storage volume defined by storage hopper.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presenttechnology will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the technology and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present technology, including thebest mode thereof directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendedfigures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified, side view of one embodiment of anagricultural harvester in accordance with aspects of the present subjectmatter;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a distal portion of an elevatorassembly of the harvester shown in FIG. 1, particularly illustratingcomponents of a storage hopper of the elevator assembly when theharvester is being operated in a discharge harvesting mode in whichharvested crops are discharged from the elevator assembly;

FIG. 3 illustrates another side view of the distal portion of theelevator assembly shown in FIG. 2, particularly illustrating thecomponents of the storage hopper when the harvester is being operated ina storage operating mode in which harvested crops to be temporarilystored within the storage hopper; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method foroperating a harvester in accordance with aspects of the present subjectmatter.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, notlimitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madein the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as partof one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncovers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

In general, the present subject matter is directed to an elevatorassembly for an agricultural harvester that includes a storage hopper atits distal end for temporarily storing harvested crops therein.Specifically, in several embodiments, the storage hopper may include aconveyor positioned therein and configured to carry the harvested cropsreceived from an elevator of the elevator assembly towards a dischargeopening of the storage hopper. As such, when an external receiver orstorage device is properly positioned relative to the harvester, theconveyor may be driven in a manner that carries the harvested cropstoward the discharge opening for ejection from the harvester into theexternal receiver. For example, in one embodiment, the speed of theconveyor may be variable such that the distance that the harvested cropsare ejected from the discharge opening is adjustable. In this regard,the distance between the harvester and the external receiver or storagedevice may be varied without necessitating adjustment of the position ofthe elevator relative to one or more other components of the elevatorassembly. Conversely, when the external receiver or storage device isnot properly positioned relative to the harvester, the speed of theconveyor may be reduced and/or the operation of the conveyor may behalted such that the harvested crops accumulate within a storage volumedefined by the storage hopper without discontinuing operation of theelevator and/or the remainder of the harvester.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of oneembodiment of an agricultural harvester 10 in accordance with aspects ofthe present subject matter. As shown, the harvester 10 is configured asa sugarcane harvester. However, in other embodiments, the harvester 10may correspond to any other suitable agricultural harvester known in theart.

As shown in FIG. 1, the harvester 10 includes a frame 12, a pair offront wheels 14, a pair of rear wheels 16, and an operator's cab 18. Theharvester 10 may also include a primary source of power (e.g., an enginemounted on the frame 12), which powers one or both pairs of the wheels14, 16 via a transmission (not shown). Alternatively, the harvester 10may be a track-driven harvester and, thus, may include tracks driven bythe engine as opposed to the illustrated wheels 14, 16. The engine mayalso drive a hydraulic fluid pump (not shown) configured to generatepressurized hydraulic fluid for powering various hydraulic components ofthe harvester 10.

Additionally, the harvester 10 may include various components forcutting, processing, cleaning, and discharging sugar cane as the cane isharvested from an agricultural field 20. For instance, the harvester 10may include a topper assembly 22 positioned at its front end tointercept sugar cane as the harvester 10 is moved in the forwarddirection. As shown, the topper assembly 22 may include both a gatheringdisk 24 and a cutting disk 26. The gathering disk 24 may be configuredto gather the sugar cane stalks so that the cutting disk 26 may be usedto cut off the top of each stalk. As is generally understood, the heightof the topper assembly 22 may be adjustable via a pair of arms 28hydraulically raised and lowered, as desired, by the operator.

Additionally, the harvester 10 may include a crop divider 30 thatextends upwardly and rearwardly from the field 20. In general, the cropdivider 30 may include two spiral feed rollers 32. Each feed roller 32may include a ground shoe 34 at its lower end to assist the crop divider30 in gathering the sugar cane stalks for harvesting. Moreover, as shownin FIG. 1, the harvester 10 may include a knock-down roller 36positioned near the front wheels 14 and a fin roller 38 positionedbehind the knock-down roller 36. As the knock-down roller 36 is rotated,the sugar cane stalks being harvested are knocked down while the cropdivider 30 gathers the stalks from agricultural field 20. Further, asshown in FIG. 1, the fin roller 38 may include a plurality ofintermittently mounted fins 40 that assist in forcing the sugar canestalks downwardly. As the fin roller 38 is rotated during the harvest,the sugar cane stalks that have been knocked down by the knock-downroller 36 are separated and further knocked down by the fin roller 38 asthe harvester 10 continued to be moved in the forward direction relativeto the field 20.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the harvester 10 may also include a basecutter assembly 42 positioned behind the fin roller 30. As is generallyunderstood, the base cutter assembly 42 may include blades (not shown)for severing the sugar cane stalks as the cane is being harvested. Theblades, located on the periphery of the assembly 42, may be rotated by ahydraulic motor (not shown) powered by the vehicle's hydraulic system.Additionally, in several embodiments, the blades may be angleddownwardly to sever the base of the sugar cane as the cane is knockeddown by the fin roller 30.

Moreover, the harvester 10 may include a feed roller assembly 44 locateddownstream of the base cutter assembly 42 for moving the severed stalksof sugar cane from base cutter assembly 42 along the processing path. Asshown in FIG. 1, the feed roller assembly 44 may include a plurality ofbottom rollers 46 and a plurality of opposed, top pinch rollers 48. Thevarious bottom and top rollers 46, 48 may be used to pinch the harvestedsugar cane during transport. As the sugar cane is transported throughthe feed roller assembly 44, debris (e.g., rocks, dirt, and/or the like)may be allowed to fall through bottom rollers 46 onto the field 20.

In addition, the harvester 10 may include a chopper assembly 50 locatedat the downstream end of the feed roller assembly 44 (e.g., adjacent tothe rearward-most bottom and top feed rollers 46, 48). In general, thechopper assembly 50 may be used to cut or chop the severed sugar canestalks into pieces or “billets” that may be, for example, six (6) incheslong. The billets may then be propelled towards an elevator assembly 52of the harvester 10 for delivery to an external receiver or storagedevice (not shown).

As is generally understood, pieces of debris (e.g., dust, dirt, leaves,etc.) separated from the sugar cane billets may be expelled from theharvester 10 through a primary extractor 54, which is located behind thechopper assembly 50 and is oriented to direct the debris outwardly fromthe harvester 10. Additionally, an extractor fan 56 may be mounted atthe base of the primary extractor 54 for generating a suction force orvacuum sufficient to pick up the debris and force the debris through theprimary extractor 54. The separated or cleaned billets, heavier than thedebris being expelled through the extractor 54, may then fall downwardto the elevator assembly 52.

As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator assembly 52 may generally include anelevator housing 58 and an elevator 60 extending within the elevatorhousing 58 between a lower, proximal end 62 and an upper, distal end 64.In general, the elevator 60 may include a looped chain 66 and aplurality of flights or paddles 68 attached to and evenly spaced on thechain 66. The paddles 68 may be configured to hold the sugar canebillets on the elevator 60 as the billets are elevated along a top span70 of the elevator 60 defined between its proximal and distal ends 62,64. Additionally, the elevator 60 may include lower and upper sprockets72, 74 positioned at its proximal and distal ends 62, 64, respectively.As shown in FIG. 1, an elevator motor 76 may be coupled to one of thesprockets (e.g., the upper sprocket 74) for driving the chain 66,thereby allowing the chain 66 and the paddles 68 to travel in an endlessloop between the proximal and distal ends 62, 64 of the elevator 60.Furthermore, in one embodiment, the distal end 64 of the elevator 60 maybe fixed relative to the elevator housing 58 such that the orientationor angle of the elevator 60 is generally not adjustable relative to theelevator housing 58. However, in alternative embodiments, the distal end64 of the elevator 60 may be adjustable relative to the elevator housing58.

Moreover, pieces of debris (e.g., dust, dirt, leaves, etc.) separatedfrom the elevated sugar cane billets may be expelled from the harvester10 through a secondary extractor 78 coupled to the rear end of theelevator housing 58. As shown in FIG. 1, the secondary extractor 78 maybe located adjacent to the distal end 64 of the elevator 60 and may beoriented to direct the debris outwardly from the harvester 10.Additionally, an extractor fan 80 may be mounted at the base of thesecondary extractor 78 for generating a suction force or vacuumsufficient to pick up the debris and force the debris through thesecondary extractor 78. The separated, cleaned billets, heavier than thedebris expelled through the extractor 78, may then fall from the distalend 64 of the elevator 60. Typically, the billets may then be ejectedfrom the harvester 10 through a discharge opening 82 of the elevatorassembly 52 into an external receiver or storage device (not shown),such as a sugar cane billet cart. However, in alternative embodiments,the harvester 10 may not include the secondary extractor 78.

During operation, the harvester 10 is traversed across the agriculturalfield 20 for harvesting sugar cane. After the height of the topperassembly 22 is adjusted via the arms 28, the gathering disk 24 on thetopper assembly 22 may function to gather the sugar cane stalks as theharvester 10 proceeds across the field 20, while the cutter disk 26severs the leafy tops of the sugar cane stalks for disposal along eitherside of harvester 10. As the stalks enter the crop divider 30, theground shoes 34 may set the operating width to determine the quantity ofsugar cane entering the throat of the harvester 10. The spiral feedrollers 32 then gather the stalks into the throat to allow theknock-down roller 36 to bend the stalks downwardly in conjunction withthe action of the fin roller 38. Once the stalks are angled downwardlyas shown in FIG. 1, the base cutter assembly 42 may then sever the baseof the stalks from field 20. The severed stalks are then, by movement ofthe harvester 10, directed to the feed roller assembly 44.

The severed sugar cane stalks are conveyed rearwardly by the bottom andtop feed rollers 46, 48, which compress the stalks, make them moreuniform, and shake loose debris to pass through the bottom rollers 46 tothe field 20. At the downstream end of the feed roller assembly 44, thechopper assembly 50 cuts or chops the compressed sugar cane stalks intopieces or billets (e.g., 6 inch cane sections). Airborne debris or chaff(e.g., dust, dirt, leaves, etc.) separated from the sugar cane billetsis then extracted through the primary extractor 54 using suction createdby the extractor fan 56. The separated/cleaned billets then falldownwardly into the elevator assembly 52 and travel upwardly via theelevator 60 from its proximal end 62 to its distal end 64. During normaloperation, once the billets reach the distal end 64 of the elevator 60,the billets are carried to the discharge opening 82 for ejection fromthe harvester 10 to an external receiver or storage device. Similar tothe primary extractor 54, chaff is blown out from harvester 10 throughthe secondary extractor 78 with the aid of the extractor fan 80.

Additionally, in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter,the elevator assembly 52 may also include a storage hopper 100 coupledto the elevator housing 58 at a location adjacent to the distal end 64of the elevator 60 (e.g., at a location below the distal end 64 of theelevator 60 and the secondary extractor 78). As shown in FIG. 1, thestorage hopper 100 may be configured to at least partially define thedischarge opening 82 of the elevator assembly 52. As will be describedin greater detail below, the storage hopper 100 may include a conveyor102 configured to carry the billets received from the elevator 60towards the discharge opening 82 for ejection from the harvester 10. Inthis regard, when the harvester 10 is operated in its typical unloadingmode (e.g., referred to hereinafter as its discharge harvesting mode),the conveyor 102 may be driven in a manner that carries the billetsexpelled from the distal end 64 of the elevator 60 toward the dischargeopening 82 for ejection from the harvester 10. The ejected billets mayfall into an associated external receiver or storage device. However,when the harvester 10 is being operated in a storage harvesting mode,the speed of the conveyor 102 may be reduced or the operation of theconveyor 102 may be halted. As such, the billets expelled from thedistal end 64 of the elevator 60 may accumulate within a storage volume104 defined by the storage hopper 100 for temporary storage therein.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, side views of a distal portion of theelevator assembly 52 shown in FIG. 1 are illustrated in accordance withaspects of the present subject matter, particularly illustrating thestorage hopper 100 located adjacent to the distal end 64 of the elevator60. Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates the storage hopper 100 when theharvester 10 is being operated in its discharge harvesting mode.Similarly, FIG. 3 illustrates the storage hopper 100 when the harvester10 is being operated in its storage harvesting mode.

In several embodiments, the storage hopper 100 may be positioned at oradjacent to the distal end 64 of the elevator 60 such that billets areexpelled from the elevator 60 at its distal end 64 downwardly andrearwardly into the storage hopper 100. For instance, as shown in FIGS.2 and 3, the storage hopper 100 may extend downwardly and rearwardlyfrom the elevator housing 58 such that the hopper 100 includes a bottomside 106 located below the distal end 64 of the elevator 60 and a rearside 108 (FIG. 2) positioned below the secondary extractor 78. Thestorage hopper 100 may include a bottom wall 110 positioned along thebottom side 106 of the hopper 100 and a rear door 112 movable relativeto the rear side 108 of the hopper 100. The storage hopper 100 may alsoinclude a pair of sidewalls 114 (only one of which is shown) extendingoutwardly from the elevator housing 58 to the bottom and rear sides 106,108 of the hopper 100. Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, thestorage hopper 100 may include a front wall 116 spaced forward of therear side 108 of the hopper 100. In one embodiment, the dischargeopening 82 of the elevator assembly 52 may be defined along the rearside 108 of the hopper 100. However, it should be appreciated that, inalternative embodiments, the storage hopper 100 may have any othersuitable configuration.

Furthermore, the storage hopper 100 may include the conveyor 102positioned adjacent to the bottom side 106 of the hopper 100.Specifically, in several embodiments, the conveyor 102 may extend withinthe storage hopper 100 between a first, forward end 118 and a second,rear end 120. For example, as shown, in one embodiment, the first end118 of the conveyor 102 may be positioned adjacent to the distal end 64of the elevator 60 and the forward wall 116 of the storage hopper 100,while the second end 120 of the conveyor 102 may be positioned adjacentto the rear side 108 and discharge opening 82 of the hopper 100.Moreover, as shown, the conveyor 102 may be positioned vertically belowthe distal end 64 of the elevator 60. Additionally, the conveyor 102 mayinclude a conveyor belt 122 and forward and rear rollers 124, 126positioned at its first and second ends 118, 120, respectively. In thisregard, a conveyor motor 128 (e.g., an hydraulic motor, electric motor,and/or the like) may be coupled to one of the rollers (e.g., the rearroller 124) for driving the conveyor belt 122, thereby allowing the belt122 to travel in an endless loop between the first and second ends 118,120 of the conveyor 102. As will be described below, the sugar canebillets discharged from the elevator 60 may fall onto a top span 130 ofthe conveyor belt 122. Such billets may, in turn, be carried orotherwise transported from the first end 118 of the conveyor 102 to thesecond end of the conveyor 102 as the conveyor belt 122 is movedrelative to the rollers 124, 126.

Additionally, in several embodiments, the rear door 112 may be movablebetween an opened position (FIG. 2) and a closed position (FIG. 3). Morespecifically, when it is desired to operate the harvester 10 in itsdischarge harvesting mode, the rear door 112 may be moved to its openedposition. For instance, as shown in FIG. 2, when in the dischargeposition, the rear door 112 may be pivoted relative to the rear side 110of the hopper 100 away from both the bottom and front sides 110, 116(e.g., in the direction of arrow 132 in FIG. 2) to expose the dischargeopening 82 defined along the rear side 108 of the hopper 100. Moreover,as indicated above, when in the discharge harvesting mode, the conveyor102 may be driven in a manner that carries the billets expelled from thedistal end 64 of the elevator 60 toward the discharge opening 82. Assuch, the speed of the conveyor belt 122 may force or launch the billetsthereon through the discharge opening 82, thereby ejecting such billetsfrom the elevator assembly 52. Additionally, in one embodiment, thespeed of the conveyor belt 122 may by varied (e.g., by varying the speedat which the rear roller 126 is driven by the conveyor motor 128) suchthat the distance that the billets are ejected from the dischargeopening 82 is adjustable. In this regard, by varying the speed of theconveyor belt 122, the distance between the discharge opening 82 and theassociated external storage device may be adjusted without requiringadjustment of the orientation or angle of the elevator 60 relative tothe elevator housing 58.

Moreover, when it is desired to operate the harvester 10 in its storageharvesting mode, the rear door 112 may be moved to its closed position.For instance, as shown in FIG. 3, when in the storage position, the reardoor 112 may be pivoted relative to the rear side 110 of the hopper 100towards both the bottom and front walls 110, 116 (e.g., in the directionof arrow 134) until the rear door 112 contacts or is otherwisepositioned directly adjacent to the bottom wall 110, thereby coveringthe discharge opening 82 defined along the rear side 108 of the hopper100. When the rear door 112 is located at such position, the storagehopper 100 may be configured to define a storage volume 104 for storingthe billets expelled from the distal end 64 of the elevator 60.Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the storage volume 104 may extendbetween a forward end 136 of the storage hopper 100 defined by the frontwall 116 and the rear side 108 defined by the rear door 112.Additionally, the storage volume 104 may extend crosswise between theopposed sidewalls 114 of the hopper 100 and vertically between thesecondary extractor 78 and the conveyor 102. Thus, billets expelled fromthe distal end 64 of the elevator 60 may fall downwardly onto the bottomof the storage volume 104 defined by the conveyor 102 and pile upvertically on the conveyor 102 and within the storage volume 104 betweenthe front wall 116 and the rear door 112 and the opposed sidewalls 114.Additionally, as indicated above, when in the storage harvesting mode,the speed of the conveyor 102 may be reduced or the operation of theconveyor 102 may be halted to prevent movement of the billets toward thedischarge opening 82. In one embodiment, the speed of the conveyor 102may be reduced for a predetermined time period before the operation ofthe conveyor 102 is halted.

It should be appreciated that the storage volume 104 defined by thestorage hopper 100 may generally correspond to any suitable volumesufficient to store a desired amount of billets within the hopper 100.However, in several embodiments, the storage hopper 100 may beconfigured such that the storage volume 104 is substantially equal tothe maximum storage volume defined by the top span 70 of the elevator 60(i.e., the top side of the elevator 60 along which the billets areconveyed between the elevator's proximal and distal ends 62, 64). Asused herein, the storage volume 104 defined by the storage hopper 100may be considered to be substantially equal to the maximum storagevolume defined by the top elevator span 70 if the storage volume 104 iswithin +/−20% of the maximum storage volume defined by the top elevatorspan 70, such as within +/−10% of the maximum storage volume defined bythe top elevator span 70 or within +/−5% of the maximum storage volumedefined by the top elevator span 70 and/or any other subrangestherebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in several embodiments, the elevator assembly52 may include a rear door actuator 138 configured to move the rear door112 between its opened and closed positions. In general, the rear dooractuator 138 may correspond to any suitable actuation mechanism and/ordevice. For instance, in one embodiment, the rear door actuator 138 maycorrespond to a linear actuator, such as a fluid-driven cylinderactuator or an electric actuator (e.g., a solenoid-activated actuator).Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rear door actuator 138 maybe coupled to a portion of the secondary extractor 78 and may include adrive rod 140 secured to a portion of the rear door 112. In such anembodiment, by linearly actuating the drive rod 140 in one direction orthe other, the rear door 112 may be pivoted relative to the rear side106 of the hopper 100 between its opened and closed positions.Alternatively, the rear door actuator 138 may correspond to any othersuitable actuation mechanism and/or device, such as any other suitablelinear actuator (e.g., a gear and rack assembly) and/or the like.

It should be appreciated that, in several embodiments, the operation ofthe conveyor motor 128 and/or the rear door actuator 138 may beconfigured to be electronically controlled via a controller 142 of theharvester 10. For instance, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the controller142 may be communicatively coupled to the conveyor motor 128 and therear door actuator 138 via one or more communicative links 144, such asa wired connection and/or a wireless connection. In the event that theconveyor motor 128 and/or the rear door actuator 138 corresponds to afluid-driven component(s), the controller 142 may, instead, becommunicatively coupled to suitable electronically controlled valvesand/or other suitable fluid-related components for controlling theoperation of the component(s) 128, 138. Regardless, by providing thedisclosed communicative links between the controller 142 and thecomponent(s) 130, 138, the controller 142 may be configured to controlthe operation of the component(s) 130, 138 based on inputs received fromthe operator of the harvester 10. For instance, as will be describedbelow, the controller 142 may be configured to receive operator inputsassociated with the desired operating mode for the harvester 10.Specifically, the operator may provide an operator input indicating thedesire to switch the operation of the harvester 10 from the dischargeharvesting mode to the storage harvesting mode. In such instance, thecontroller 142 may be configured to electronically control the operationof the conveyor motor 128 to reduce the speed of and/or halt theoperation of the conveyor 102 and electronically control the operationof the rear door actuator 138 to move the rear door 112 to its closedposition. Similarly, if the operator provides an operator inputindicating the desire to switch the operation of the harvester 10 fromthe storage harvesting mode back to the discharge harvesting mode, thecontroller 142 may be configured to electronically control the operationof the conveyor motor 128 such that the conveyor belt 122 is driven atthe desired or selected speed and electronically control the operationof the rear door actuator 138 to move the rear door 112 from its closedposition to its opened position.

In general, the controller 142 may correspond to any suitableprocessor-based device known in the art, such as a computing device orany suitable combination of computing devices. Thus, in severalembodiments, the controller 142 may include one or more processor (s)146 and associated memory device(s) 148 configured to perform a varietyof computer-implemented functions. As used herein, the term “processor”refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as beingincluded in a computer, but also refers to a controller, amicrocontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC),an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmablecircuits. Additionally, the memory device(s) 148 of the controller 142may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to,computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), computerreadable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a compact disc-readonly memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatiledisc (DVD) and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory device(s)148 may generally be configured to store suitable computer-readableinstructions that, when implemented by the processor(s) 146, configurethe controller 142 to perform various computer-implemented functions,such as one or more aspects of the method 200 described below withreference to FIG. 4. In addition, the controller 142 may also includevarious other suitable components, such as a communications circuit ormodule, one or more input/output channels, a data/control bus and/or thelike.

It should be appreciated that the controller 142 may correspond to anexisting controller of the harvester 10 or the controller 142 maycorrespond to a separate processing device. For instance, in oneembodiment, the controller 142 may form all or part of a separateplug-in module that may be installed within the harvester 10 to allowthe present subject matter to be implemented without requiringadditional software to be uploaded onto existing control devices of theharvester 10.

It should also be appreciated that the controller 142 may be configuredto electronically control any other suitable components of the harvester10 in addition to the above-described components 128, 138. For instance,as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the controller 142 may be communicativelycoupled to the elevator motor 76 for controlling the operation of theelevator 60. For instance, the controller 142 may electronically controlthe operation of the elevator motor 76 to automatically adjust theoperational speed of the elevator 60 and/or the start/stop the elevator60, as desired.

Referring still to FIGS. 2 and 3, in several embodiments, a sealingdevice 150 may be provided at the top end of the front wall 116 forsealing the gap defined between the front wall 116 and the paddles 68 ofthe elevator 60 as the paddles 68 are conveyed past the wall 116. Forinstance, in one embodiment, the sealing device 150 may correspond to aflexible sealing member, such as a brush seal or an elastic seal. Insuch an embodiment, the sealing device 150 may be configured to flex orbend as the paddles 68 are conveyed past the front wall 116. Byproviding the sealing device 150, the billets stored within the storagevolume 104 of the hopper 100 when the harvester 10 is operating in itsstorage harvesting mode may be prevented from tumbling over the top ofthe front wall 116 and falling from the hopper 100.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method200 for operating a harvester is illustrated in accordance with aspectsof the present subject matter. In general, the method 200 will bedescribed herein with reference to the embodiment of the harvester 10described above with reference to FIGS. 1-3. However, it should beappreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the disclosedmethod 200 may generally be implemented with any harvester 10 having anysuitable harvester configuration. In addition, although FIG. 4 depictssteps performed in a particular order for purposes of illustration anddiscussion, the methods discussed herein are not limited to anyparticular order or arrangement. One skilled in the art, using thedisclosures provided herein, will appreciate that various steps of themethods disclosed herein can be omitted, rearranged, combined, and/oradapted in various ways without deviating from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

As shown in FIG. 4, at (202), the method 200 may initially operating aharvester in a discharge harvesting mode such that harvested crops areexpelled from a distal end of an elevator of the harvester, conveyedbetween first and second ends of a conveyor of a storage hopper of theharvester, and subsequently discharged from the harvester through adischarge opening defined by the storage hopper. Specifically, asindicated above, when operating the harvester 10 in the dischargeharvesting mode, the rear door 112 may be moved to its opened positionshown in FIG. 2 and the conveyor 102 may be driven (e.g., by theconveyor motor 128) in a manner that carries billets expelled from thedistal end 64 of the elevator 60 from the first end 118 of the conveyor102 to the second end 122 of the conveyor 102. As such, the speed of theconveyor 102 may launch or otherwise eject the from the elevatorassembly 52 via the discharge opening 82. The billets discharged fromthe elevator assembly 52 may then fall into an external receiver orstorage device, such as a sugar cane billet cart.

Additionally, at (204), the method 200 may include receiving an operatorinput associated with switching the operation of the harvester from itsdischarge harvesting mode to its storage harvesting mode. For instance,as indicated above, it may be desirable to operate the harvester 10 inits storage harvesting mode when an associated external storage deviceis not properly positioned relative to the discharge opening 82 forcollecting the discharged billets, such as when rotating the billetcarts and/or when turning/resuming harvesting at the end of row withoutthe billet cart being in position. In such instance(s), the operator maybe allowed to provide a suitable operator input to the vehicle'scontroller 142 indicating the desire to switch operation of theharvester 10 to the storage harvesting mode. For instance, a suitableinput device (e.g., a button, knob, lever, switch, etc.) may be providedwithin the operator's cab 18 to allow the operator to provide theoperator input to the controller 142.

Moreover, at (206), the method 200 may include, upon receipt of theoperator input, at least one of reducing a speed of the conveyor orhalting operation of the conveyor such that the harvested crops expelledfrom the distal end of the elevator accumulate within a storage volumedefined by the storage hopper. Specifically, in several embodiments,when operating the harvester 10 in the storage harvesting mode, thespeed of the conveyor 102 may be reduced and/or the operation of theconveyor 102 may be halted such that the billets expelled from thedistal end 64 of the elevator 60 accumulate within a storage volume 104defined by the storage hopper 100. For instance, as indicated above, thevehicle's controller 142 may be configured to automatically control theoperation of the conveyor actuator 128 in a manner that reduces thespeed of and/or halts the operation of the conveyor 102 such that theconveyor belt 122 is stationary relative to the rollers 124, 126 uponreceiving the input from the operator indicating his/her desire tooperate the harvester 10 in the storage harvesting mode.

Further, at (208), the method 200 may include, upon receipt of theoperator input, moving a rear door of the storage hopper from its openedposition to its closed position. Specifically, in several embodiments,when operating the harvester 10 in the storage harvesting mode, the reardoor 112 may be configured to be moved to its closed position so thatthe storage hopper 100 defines the storage volume 104 for receiving thebillets expelled from the distal end 64 of the elevator 60. As indicatedabove, the vehicle's controller 142 may be configured to automaticallycontrol the operation of the rear door actuator 138 in a manner thatmoves the rear door 112 to its closed position upon receiving the inputfrom the operator indicating his/her desire to operate the harvester 10in the storage harvesting mode.

Referring still to FIG. 4, at (210), the method 200 may also include,upon receipt of the operator input, reducing an operational speed of theelevator. Specifically, in addition to reducing the speed of and/orhalting operation of the conveyor 102 and/or moving the rear door 112,the operational speed of the elevator 60 may be reduced from its normaloperational speed (e.g., the operational speed of the elevator 60 whenthe harvester 10 is operated in its discharge harvesting mode) to adecreased operational speed. In one embodiment, the elevator speed maybe reduced to a predetermined operational speed, such as a speed rangingfrom about 10% to about 25% of the normal operational speed of theelevator 60. Alternatively, the decreased operational speed of theelevator 60 may be determined as a function of one or more operationalparameters of the harvester 10, such as the current yield of theharvester 10, the current feed rate of the harvester 10, and/or thecurrent ground speed of the harvester 10. As indicated above, theoperational speed of the elevator 60 may be automatically controlled bythe vehicle's controller 142 (e.g., by controlling the operation of theelevator motor 76).

Additionally, at (212), the method 200 may include continuing operationof the elevator at the reduced speed so that the harvested crops areexpelled from the elevator into the storage volume defined by thestorage hopper as the elevator is moved a conveyance distancecorresponding to the distance of the top elevator span. Specifically, inseveral embodiments, after reducing the speed of and/or haltingoperation of the conveyor 102 and/or moving the rear door 112 to itsclosed position, the elevator 60 may be operated at the reducedoperational speed until the elevator 60 has moved one half of its totaltravel distance (i.e., the conveyance distance defined along the topspan 70 of the elevator 60 between its proximal and distal ends 62, 64).In doing so, as the elevator 60 is moved such conveyance distance, thebillets initially contained within the top elevator span 70 may bedumped into the storage volume 104 while concurrently filling thepaddles 68 moving into the top elevator span 70 to their maximum filllevel.

Moreover, at (214), the method 200 may include stopping the operation ofthe elevator after the elevator has been moved the specified conveyancedistance. Specifically, once the elevator 60 has moved the conveyancedistance defined along the top span 70 of the elevator 60 between itsproximal and distal ends 62, 64 (thereby allowing both the storagehopper 100 and the top elevator span 70 to be filled with billets), theelevator operation may be halted. As indicated above, the elevator 60may be automatically stopped by the vehicle's controller 142 (e.g., bycontrolling the operation of the elevator motor 76). In such anembodiment, the controller 142 may be configured to determine when theelevator 60 has been moved the specified conveyance distance bymonitoring the time across which the elevator 60 has been operated atits reduced speed and/or by monitoring the actual distance across whichthe elevator 60 has been conveyed.

Further, at (216), the method 200 may include maintaining the remainderof the harvester operational to allow harvested crops to be storedwithin a lower storage volume of the elevator assembly for apredetermined time period after stopping the operation of the elevator.Specifically, upon stopping the elevator 60, the harvester 10 maycontinue to be used to harvest sugar cane for a given time period (e.g.,three to ten seconds). In such instance, the harvested billets may bestored within a lower storage hopper 152 (FIG. 1) defined at or adjacentto the proximal end 62 of the elevator 60.

Additionally, at (218), the method 200 may include stopping theoperation of the harvester after the predetermined time period haselapsed. Specifically, following the continued operation of theharvester 10 for the predetermined time period after stopping theelevator 60, it may be assumed that the elevator assembly 62 is at fullcapacity. In such instance, the harvester 10 may be stopped todiscontinue harvesting of the sugar cane.

It should be appreciated that the disclosed method 200 may allow aharvester 10 to be operated without unloading harvested crops for asignificant period of time (e.g., fifteen to forty seconds depending onthe throughput of the harvester 10 and the length/capacity of theelevator 60), thereby providing sufficient time to allow an externalreceiver or storage device (e.g., a billet cart) to be positionedrelative to the harvester 10. Once the external receiver or storagedevice is positioned relative to the harvester 10, operation of theconveyor 102 may be initiated and its speed may be set based on thedistance between the discharge opening 82 and the external receiver. Assuch, the billets ejected from the harvester 10 may be received by theexternal receiver or storage device even if the distance between thedischarge opening 82 and the external receiver has changed since thelast time the harvester 10 was operated in the discharge operating mode.In general, it is anticipated that the external storage device may beproperly positioned relative to the harvester 10 in the time periodrequired for the elevator 60 to be moved the conveyance distance definedalong the top span 70 of the elevator 60 between its proximal and distalends 62, 64. As such, in most instances, it is believed that theoperation of the harvester 10 can be switched back to its dischargeharvesting mode prior to stopping the operation of the elevator 60.However, in the event that the external storage device is not properlypositioned relative to the harvester 10 prior to such point, theremainder of the disclosed method 200 (e.g., method elements 214-218)may be implemented to provide for continued, temporary operation of theharvester until the eternal storage device is in place.

It is to be understood that the steps of the method 200 are performed bythe controller 142 upon loading and executing software code orinstructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readablemedium, such as on a magnetic medium, e.g., a computer hard drive, anoptical medium, e.g., an optical disc, solid-state memory, e.g., flashmemory, or other storage media known in the art. Thus, any of thefunctionality performed by the controller 142 described herein, such asthe method 200, is implemented in software code or instructions whichare tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium. Thecontroller 142 loads the software code or instructions via a directinterface with the computer readable medium or via a wired and/orwireless network. Upon loading and executing such software code orinstructions by the controller 142, the controller 142 may perform anyof the functionality of the controller 142 described herein, includingany steps of the method 200 described herein.

The term “software code” or “code” used herein refers to anyinstructions or set of instructions that influence the operation of acomputer or controller. They may exist in a computer-executable form,such as machine code, which is the set of instructions and data directlyexecuted by a computer's central processing unit or by a controller, ahuman-understandable form, such as source code, which may be compiled inorder to be executed by a computer's central processing unit or by acontroller, or an intermediate form, such as object code, which isproduced by a compiler. As used herein, the term “software code” or“code” also includes any human-understandable computer instructions orset of instructions, e.g., a script, that may be executed on the flywith the aid of an interpreter executed by a computer's centralprocessing unit or by a controller.

This written description uses examples to disclose the technology,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the technology, including making and using any devicesor systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scopeof the technology is defined by the claims, and may include otherexamples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples areintended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structuralelements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, orif they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantialdifferences from the literal language of the claims.

1. An elevator assembly for a harvester, comprising: an elevatorhousing; an elevator extending within the elevator housing between aproximal end and a distal end, the elevator configured to carryharvested crops between its proximal and distal ends; and a storagehopper extending from the elevator housing at a location adjacent to thedistal end of the elevator, the storage hopper comprising a conveyorextending within the storage hopper between a first end and a secondend, the conveyor configured to carry the harvested crops between itsfirst and second ends towards a discharge opening of the storage hopper.2. The elevator assembly of claim 1, wherein the storage hopper furthercomprises a rear door movable between an opened position, at which therear door exposes the discharge opening of the storage hopper to allowthe harvested crops to be discharged from the elevator assembly throughthe discharge opening, and a closed position, at which the rear doorcovers the discharge opening to prevent the harvested crops from beingdischarged from the elevator assembly.
 3. The elevator assembly of claim2, wherein, when the rear door is moved to the closed position, the reardoor and the storage hopper are configured to at least partially definea storage volume within the storage hopper for storing the harvestedcrop.
 4. The elevator assembly of claim 2, wherein, when the elevatorassembly is being operated in a discharge harvesting mode, the rear dooris moved to the opened position and the conveyor is driven in a mannerthat carries the harvested crops toward the discharge opening.
 5. Theelevator assembly of claim 2, wherein, when the elevator assembly isbeing operated in a storage harvesting mode, the rear door is moved tothe closed position and at least one of a speed of the conveyor isreduced or operation of the conveyor is halted such that the harvestedcrops accumulate within a storage volume defined by the storage hopper.6. The elevator assembly of claim 1, wherein the first end of theconveyor positioned adjacent to the elevator and the second end of theconveyor positioned adjacent to a discharge opening of the storagehopper.
 7. The elevator assembly of claim 1, wherein a speed of theconveyor is variable such that a distance that the harvested crops areejected from the discharge opening is adjustable.
 8. The elevatorassembly of claim 1, wherein the distal end of the elevator is fixedrelative to the elevator housing.
 9. The elevator assembly of claim 1,wherein the elevator is positioned above the first end of the conveyor.10. A method for operating a harvester, the harvester comprising anelevator assembly including an elevator extending between a proximal endand a distal end, the elevator assembly further including a storagehopper extending from the elevator housing at a location adjacent to thedistal end of the elevator, the storage hopper comprising a conveyorextending within the storage hopper between a first end and a secondend, the method comprising: initially operating the harvester in adischarge harvesting mode such that harvested crops are expelled fromthe distal end of the elevator, conveyed between the first and secondends of the conveyor, and subsequently discharged from the harvesterthrough a discharge opening defined by the storage hopper; receiving anoperator input associated with operating the harvester in a storageharvesting mode; and upon receipt of the operator input, at least one ofreducing a speed of the conveyor or halting operation of the conveyorsuch that the harvested crops expelled from the distal end of theelevator accumulate within a storage volume defined by the storagehopper.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the storage hopper furthercomprises a rear door, the method further comprising: upon receipt ofthe operator input, moving the rear door from an opened position, atwhich the rear door exposes the discharge opening of the storage hopperto allow the harvested crops to be discharged from the elevator assemblythrough the discharge opening, and a closed position, at which the reardoor covers the discharge opening to prevent the harvested crops frombeing discharged from the elevator assembly.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the rear door at least partially defines the storage volume whenthe rear door is located at its closed position.
 13. The method of claim10, wherein the first end of the conveyor positioned adjacent to theelevator and the second end of the conveyor positioned adjacent to adischarge opening of the storage hopper.
 14. The method of claim 10,further comprising: varying the speed of the conveyor in a manner thatadjusts a distance that the harvested crops are ejected from thedischarge opening.
 15. The method of claim 10, further comprising: uponreceipt of the operator input, reducing an operating speed of theelevator.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein the distal end of theelevator is fixed relative to the elevator housing.
 17. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the distal end of the elevator is positioned above theconveyor.